


Unraveled

by misura



Category: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Genre: Brothers, M/M, Paperwork, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-24 20:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17107772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Mikodez struggles with his decision to give up knitting as a hobby.





	Unraveled

**Author's Note:**

  * For [suitablyskippy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/suitablyskippy/gifts).



> rated for Shuos values and morals
> 
> [insert Shuos joke here]

After three weeks of being surrounded by people displaying an increasing lack of enthusiasm for scarves, Mikodez thought it might be time to find a new hobby. Undoubtedly, someone somewhere would be able to find a purpose for the frankly embarrassing amount of wool he still had left.

Somewhat of a pity: he felt he'd been about ready to start on the _really_ complicated patterns, and maybe a sweater or two, but then, why bother, when he'd only be foisting them on people with no intention of wearing them?

"Did you have to flirt with the poor man?"

Istradez looked up from where he'd slumped down. When not in public, Istradez had been slumping rather a lot. It made Mikodez worry, and reluctant to add to Istradez's workload by switching hobbies.

Perhaps he should pick something easy this time around. Not that knitting had required a great deal of practice to master, but there had been a lot of studying involved, most of them having to do with the various types of needles and colors of wool.

"He seemed tense," Istradez said.

Mikodez had spent a mildly entertaining hour sorting his knitting needles by suitability as a weapon. Naturally, any Shuos assassin worth the name would be able to kill someone with someone long and metal and pointy - or a ball of wool, for that matter. Still, some needles handled more comfortably than others. A few of them, Mikodez suspected, might be prone to breaking at inopportune moments.

"You flirted with him because he seemed tense?" Well, it was a fair enough reaction, Mikodez supposed. In a manner of speaking, he employed a small army of people for whom 'flirting with tense people' was practically written in their job description.

"I wanted to see how he'd respond," Istradez said.

Mikodez decided not to point out that he'd prefer for people not to have nervous breakdowns merely to satisfy Istradez's curiosity. In fact, with some very specific exceptions, he'd prefer for people not to have nervous breakdowns, period. People more or less in control of themselves were much more easier to predict and manipulate.

Plus, the standard personnel evaluation forms still didn't offer it as a reason for extended leave. Mikodez had sent several memos to the department that was theoretically in charge of keeping the forms up-to-date and easy to use requesting they amend this oversight, but somehow, they never seemed to get around to it. Possibly they were too busy having nervous breakdowns themselves - or, more likely, feuding with a rival department and finding new and inventive uses for their office supplies.

Supposedly, one of Mikodez's predecessors had promoted the current head of Payroll based solely on the woman's brilliance in fashioning an explosive device out of nothing more than rubber bands and a bottle of glue. (Mikodez doubted the story's veracity, if only because he wished to discourage people from experimenting and getting glue all over their very expensive chairs and desks and equipment.)

Istradez sighed. "Do you want me to apologize?"

"And maybe actually succeed in giving him a heart attack? Don't be silly." To say nothing of the damage to Mikodez's reputation if word got out that he now went around apologizing to people.

Granted, it might encourage a few unwise individuals to do something foolish. Then again, Mikodez was as happy to deal with idiots on their own schedule. He liked to think of it as giving them a chance to change their minds, rather than sheer, simple laziness on his part.

"I wouldn't have to go as you," Istradez said. "I could do it as myself."

Mikodez wondered if this was a blatant attempt to change the subject, or an actual indication of the real problem not being what he'd thought it was.

"Better not," he said, deciding it didn't really matter.

"He probably already knows it was me, anyway."

Given that the man was another one of Mikodez's doubles, that was almost certainly true. If not, Mikodez had a bigger problem on his hands than figuring out how to fill out a personnel form and arrange a nice, peaceful vacation of indeterminate length.

Istradez sighed again. Mikodez wondered if sighing was better or worse than slumping. "Miki. Come on. It was either take him out right there and then, or wait for it to happen at a worse time. This way, at least I was right there to step in."

"I thought we'd agreed you were going to take a break after that last assassination attempt." Mikodez couldn't remember the last time he'd been so scared. Granted, his panic hadn't lasted longer than five seconds, but still. For a Shuos assassin, five seconds was plenty of time to get the job done.

"And so I am," Istradez said. Mikodez hadn't discussed the event with him. He'd offered sex, which Istradez had accepted, and then he'd let Zehun handle everything else. "You should join me."

Mikodez didn't even need to think about that one. "Can't." On reflection, perhaps he could have phrased that a bit more tactfully. Then again, "I've only got two active body doubles left right now, and there's at least six places I need to be the coming week."

Istradez rolled his eyes. Mikodez permitted himself to relax slightly.

"We can spend some time together after dinner," he offered, hoping that would settle things. "I have some paperwork to get through, but you should be able to charm Zehun into letting me off early."

More accurately, Zehun would be overjoyed to get their hands on a hostage for Mikodez's good behavior and prompt handling of all the urgent paperwork Mikodez had allowed to accumulate during the past months. (Mikodez liked to set his own priorities. These did not coincide with Zehun's, though he sometimes suspected that that was only Zehun's way of making Mikodez feel like he was in charge of things while, in fact, he consistently prioritized everything Zehun wanted him to prioritize.)

"I'll see if I can hunt down some treats." Istradez got along well with Zehun's cats. Few people didn't, right until the moment the cats decided they had tired of playing at friendliness, at which point the claws came out. Possibly, there was a lesson there, though whether it was about cats, hounds or foxes was anyone's guess.

"Do you think they might like some balls of wool? Or a half-finished scarf?" Mikodez thought that was a cat thing: playing with wool. Plus, having an office full of knitting supplies might distract Zehun from their true purpose.

"I'm tired, not stupid," Istradez said. "But hey, if you want me to make the offer to Zehun on your behalf, I'll be happy to do so."

"No, thank you." Perhaps he'd simply stuff the lot in a closet somewhere. You never knew, he might need to bribe a knitting enthusiast in a hurry some time. Much more convenient to not have to go hunting then and simply be able to present the person in question with his own left-overs instead.

Istradez unslumped enough to get to his feet and smiled at him. "All right. I'll let you get on with it."

"I'll see you tonight. We can talk more, then," Mikodez said, suspecting they wouldn't. More likely, he would opt for sex as the easier form of communication, and then tomorrow morning, he'd be back at work when Istradez would be leaving for one of those six places Mikodez felt sort of felt obliged to attend in person - or as close as he could get.

Sometimes, he caught himself wishing Istradez had stayed a girl. No telling what their relationship would have been like at this point, but at least Mikodez might have worried less.

Of course, that might simply have been because someone'd assassinated the real him. Looked at it like that, Mikodez supposed he preferred worrying over the alternatives. Besides, worrying tended to make him hungry, and if he was going to deal with the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him, he'd need all the sugar-supplied energy he could get.


End file.
